Knowledge, truth, and social reality: An introductory note on qualitative research

Abstract

Social sciences have contributed significantly to health research both in terms of specific content and in terms of methodology. Individual social disciplines with their respective characteristic research procedures have equipped health research with a greater variety and possibilities of enquiry. Social sciences’ contribution through qualitative research is of particular importance. It is true that not all social science researches are qualitative in nature and not all the qualitative researches done are by social scientists. However, it is equally true that qualitative research methods have evolved as an integral feature of social sciences along with the way these disciplines understood reality and what according to them constituted knowledge. In other words, a basic understanding of social sciences, how they looked at reality, and their logic of knowledge synthesis and theory building could be a useful starting point to appreciate the nature and strengths of qualitative methods.